Topic: Stops in middle of converting lowrance files

[bayouxpress]

Just recently installed humminbird pc version 4.1.8.  During the conversion of lowrance waypoints it will show the dialog box "Importing files" but never gets pass 3% completion on one file and I tried another file that doesn't even get pass 0% completion.  Window closes, no error messages, and no files in left window pane.

[Humminbird_Greg]

Do you know what version of Lowrance file this is?
Seems like I remember us having problems when converting one of the newer versions of their files, but I don’t remember exactly…  You may have to use some other software to convert these files over like GPS Babel.

[bayouxpress]

I wouldn't think its one of the new files its from a lowrance 522i unit. 

I use GPSbabel for converting lowrance - google earth and vice versa.

[Humminbird_Greg]

So were these files still in the Lowrance format when they stalled or were these files you converted with GPS Babel or Google Earth?

[sonar2000]

They must be converted as HB does not recognize the Low file type.. and vice versa..I think the lowrance file type is a .usr for map stuff..
Chuck

[Humminbird_Greg]

Chuck, HumminbirdPC has the option of opening Lowrance (*.usr and *.low) file formats.  In doing so it is converting the data to the *.gpx format.


It was version 3 that we have problems with.  If this is the version you are saving these in bayouxpress; try saving them in the version 2 format and trying again.

[sonar2000]

OK, so the rel 3 is giving the problem..maybe......So the idea is to load to hbpc, converted and then sd card to the HB.....

Wow, wouldn't the world be nice if we had common sentences and data fiile types...

Chuck

[bayouxpress]

these are .usr files that I downloadedstraight from my lowrance 522i unit to an SD card.  I'm using Humminbird PC to open the .usr files on the sd card to import into humminbird pc.  In this process it converts it to a .gpx format. 

The issue is with the import/conversion.

How do I check the lowrance version of the file. 

I had just mentioned the fact that I do use gpsbabel to load lowrance info to google earth and vice versa, so that if I need to use gpsbabel for this I am familiar with the software.

[Humminbird_Greg]

I think that you have to select the file version in the Lowrance unit before exporting.
I don’t know how to check for the version number after the file has been exported.

You may try using GPS Babel to try and convert the files – let us know how that worked.

[bayouxpress]

thanks Greg,
I'll check them in the unit before exporting.  If not I'll use GPSbabel to convert then import them into HB PC..

I will let you know. 

[bayouxpress]

so i downloaded HB PC on my laptop at work. 

I ran gpsbabel on a lowrance .usr file (I do not know what version the file is). I got this file a couple years back.  Its waypoints of the boat lanes on toledo bend.  I converted it to a GPX XML file.  Conversion was sucessful in GPSBabel.

I attempted to open the newly create .gpx file and recieved this error in HB PC. 


since its an XML file I opened it up with Notepad to check to see if it had a valid <gpx node and the xml file looks fine.

[Humminbird_Greg]

Bayouxpress,
I don’t know what’s going on.
Can you e-mail me the original *.usr file and maybe I will have time to look at it tomorrow.

[bayouxpress]

email sent. 

[Humminbird_Greg]

Got it bayou.
I'll try and look at it tomorrow.

[Humminbird_Greg]

I just tried the file you sent and I got a different message when I opened it in HumminbirdPC but it did end up opening.  I saved it as a *.gpx file and e-mailed it back to you.  Give that a try and let us know how it worked out.

[bayouxpress]

So after some further research is seems that GPSbabel does not convert to .gpx files the way Humminbird PC would like it to.  it seems like my problems are related. 

I have a handful of waypoints from my lowrance, several personal tracks, a purchased boatlanes.usr file, and all my google waypoints transferred to .usr files on my lowrance unit.  I need to figure out some way to get all this on the HB unit.  There is no way I can manually enter all this info. 

Is it safe to say that if HB PC doesn't open up the .gpx file that gpsbabel converted it won't open up on the unit?

[bayouxpress]

Greg,
I figured out the setting to properly convert google kml files and lowrance .usr files in GPSbabel to .gpx files that HB pc agrees with the format.  It was one setting on the Output settings of GPSbabel.  Make sure to check off "Add info (depth) as Humminbird extension".   This setting created the proper XML file that HB PC was looking for. 

I seen a couple other posts having that error when importing a gpsbabel converted file.  I would pass this along to those and see if it could help out their issue also. 

thanks for your help. 

[Humminbird_Greg]

Thanks to you bayouxpress for figuring this out!